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Ponygon and Kafk Sunbeam
Ponygon and Kafk Sunbeam are two fictional characters in the manga and anime series Zatch Bell!, and two of the main protagonists in the series, although Kafk does not appear until midway through the second season. =Biography= Ponygon Umagon (Ponygon the English) is a mamono who looks like a horse, sounds like a sheep, and acts, for the most part like a dog. His real name is "Schneider," as it is revealed some time into the series. Ponygon is seen many times throughout the series following Gash Bellaround, but he was not officially introduced until the episode, "Go for it, Umagon". Originally Umagon discovers Gash at the end of his trip in England, but the anime introduced Umagon in Japan earlier to show him off while following him and Kiyomaro to England to follow with manga continuity. When Umagon was two years old, it was shown that he had a difficult time making friends with other mamono children, because of his belief that his kind, the horse tribe of mamodo, were slaves to other mamono tribes like the humanoid tribe. This was shown when he witnessed another humanoid mamono ride on the back of his father during a parade. Because of this, he showed hostility towards anyone who appeared as though they could treat him like a servant and ride on his back; his father paid this no mind, as he figured that Umagon was too young to understand. His life changed when he met a young Gash, who interpreted his harsh "Meru meru me" as an offer of friendship, making Gash Umagon's first friend. At first, Umagon showed no form of kindness towards Gash, as he did things like ate both their boxed lunches and avoided him whenever possible, but Gash remained ever confident that Umagon was his friend and his mother continued to encourage him to act nice towards Zatch. One day, while enjoying an outdoor lunch, Umagon's father was bitten by a poisonous snake and was left in a critical condition from its venom; Umagon attempted to get the medicine for the poison, but his father told him to carry Gash, but he could tell what antidote was needed as he was still too young to talk properly. Umagon expected Gash to say no due to his harsh treatment of him beforehand, but Zatch agreed without a second thought, shocking Umagon, but making him happy, allowing him to finally consider Zatch a friend. Ponygon eventually realized, after seeing the mamono that rode his father visit him in the hospital, that other mamndo riding on the backs of his tribe was one of the many ways mamodo work together. As he was chosen to participate in the battle for mamono king, his mother told him that the one thing more important than becoming king was having a friend. Umagon makes fast friends with Gash Bell and Tio, but not with Kiyomaro Takamine. Umagon bites Kiyomaro's hand when Kiyomaro and Umagon first meet. The frayed relationship is further strained when Kiyo sees that Umagon is having difficulty trying to untie his spellbook from a rope net, and decides to help him by cutting the ropes. Umagon becomes angry because his mother had made the rope herself, and now Kiyomaro had ruined it. Since Umagon can't say anything except "Meru meru me", Kiyomaro had no idea what he was saying or what he was so upset for. Umagon subsequently beats Kiyo up. Kiyomaro later bans Umagon from his house, then went to look for him after his classmates forced him to. After talking with Tio, Kiyomaro came to realize that Umagon, being on Earth without a book owner, must feel extremely lonely, and the reason he bonded so well with Zatch and the others was because he thought of them as companions and fellow mamodo, and he gets along with Kiyomaro's classmates because he hoped that maybe one of them would end up being his book owner. Kiyomaro also comes to see that Umagon only felt hostile towards him because he already had a mamono, so he found no reason to try to get along with him. When Kiyomaro finally finds Umagon, he tells Umagon that he could stay with him and Gash until he finds his book owner. With the help of Nazonazo Hakase and Kid, Umagon found his human partner, Kafka Sunbeam, in the Mochinoki Town Square, around the time everyone was preparing to fight Lord (aka Zofis) and his army of 1000-year-old mamodo at the Deboro Ruins in South America. However, Ponygon refused to fight due to his dislike of conflict. Nonetheless, Umagon joined Gash, Kiyomaro, Tio, and Megumi to the Deboro Ruins to battle Zofis. As time passed, Umagon began to suffer from an internal conflict; his fear of fighting and his desire to aid his friends, who were gathering their courage and fighting with all the strength they had while he could only watch and offer little to no help. During the battle with Dalumos, in which Reira betrayed Zofis and offered the group a chance to escape, Umagon hesitated to leave. Kiyomaro stated that it was fine and he had done enough, understanding that Umagon also disliked Kiyomaro due to his belief that Kiyomaro was the one dragging Gash into battle. After hesitating more, Umagon left, but encountered Sunbeam outside and indicated how he had made his decision to fight. Even though he knew there was no turning back as soon as Sunbeam read the book, Umagon accepted his decision to fight, with no intention to turn back. Eventually, after a hard battle in which Umagon and Sunbeam showed an incredibly strong bond despite having known each other in such a short time, immediately unlocking their second spell and showing perfect coordination between partners Umagon won his first battle against Dalumos. He later supported Gash in other battles against enemies like Pamun, Demolto, and even Zofis himself by fighting head-on as well as letting him and Kiyomaro ride his back. In the Faudo arc, Umagon found a rival in Karudio, a horse mamodo like him who had ideals and opinions that completely opposed his. Karudio and his partner were disgusted with mamodo that formed alliances with other mamodo, stating that Umagon had "the stench of other mamodo on him," as opposed to Umagon and Sunbeam, who believed in the limitless power produced by teamwork among allies. Umagon later assisted Gash in the attack on Faudo, and eventually overcame his differences with Karudio. Umagon only speaks the phrase "Meru meru me" or a variant thereof; it is Japanese sheep onomatopoeia. Since Umagon cannot not speak in a language the others could understand, Kiymaro couldn't figure out Umagon's real name, which is Schneider. Kiyomaro decided to call him Umagon because he's a horse (Uma means horse in Japanese and -gon is a suffix meaning "Monster"). (In the English, he names him Ponygon because he's a Pony, and he wanted him gone.) and When Umagon hears the new name, he went ballistic and beat Kiyomaro up again, although in later episodes, he seemed to be more used to the name. Recently, Gash seems to almost remember Umagon's real name after getting his memories back from Zeon, but not enough to stop calling him "Umagon". In the manga Umagon is chosen as one of the candidates of the King's Festival, the final event in the battle for king that includes the last 10 mamodo in the mamodo world. After learning of the king's privelage, the state of the mamodo world, and the threat posed by Clear Note, Umagon goes to Africa, as recommended by Dufeaux, the former bookkepper of Gash's brother Zeon, to build up his animal instincts together with Kafka who is there expanding his company during the ten months he is recuperating after his battle with Gash, Ashuron, and Brago. While training, Umagon is asked by Dufeaux to remember the memory he had of when he was two years and four months old, as it would be the key to drawing out his hidden power. The experience of living in the wild and struggling for survival changes both Umagon and Kafka's physical appearance, giving both of them longer, wilder hair as well as a more muscular body and a new spell Shin Shudoruku. After the ten months of training pass for the surviving mamodo, Kiyomaro and Dufeaux formulate a plan for defeating Clear, which involves Umagon and Kafka attacking from another direction along with the others: an ambush. However, they later meet with Gash, Kiyomaro, Tio, and Megumi as they are in a private jet and are being attacked by "Bado Rerudo," one of Clear Note's ultimate spells (the left hand of his "Shin Kuria Seunousu"), and overpowering it in an aerial battle. During the battle, as the skeletal bird begins to gain the advantage with its "disintegration on contact" feature, Kafka reveals that Umagon truly did struggle to stay alive and was kept going by the though of his friend Gash. Umagon remembered Kafka telling him that no matter how much injury or suffering he went through in his days, in the end he was alive. With help from Gash and Kiyomaro, who Umagon placed all his faith in, managed to reunite with his friend. Umagon then aided further by flying Gash's group halfway around the world, using a function in his armor to fasten everone onto his back while Tio defended the group with her enhanced defenses. After Tiao's book is burned and Brago arrives to battle Clear, he offers to carry Gash and Kiyomaro the rest of the way to the battleground, although he appears too tired and beat up to keep going on, as casting the "Shin Shudoruk" spell twice in a row has severely weakened him. Casting "Gou Shudoruku" one final time, Sunbeam asks Umagon to take Gash and Kiyomaro the the final battleground while he tearfully asks Megumi to burn his own Mamono's book, respecting his partner and knowing that he is too tired to fight any longer. As he disappears, Umagon's armor cracks and deteriorates, yet he smiles happily, remembering all the battles that they fought together; Zatch exclaims that he wanted to have a fair fight with Umagon to determine the king, but Umagon continues to smile, happy that Gash was his friend and that he could be of some use to him. He ranked 4th Place in the fight overall. After Gash won the battle and became king of the mamono world, Ponygon was revived, along with all the other mamono in the Mamono World, and given back his enhanced body. He is seen dancing with Gash as they head off to school (Gash still calling him Umagon, and a nearby Tio, who had found out Umagon's real name, asking if it's all right not to call him Schneider). Like the other mamodo, Umagon was entitled to send a letter and postcard to his former partner, Sunbeam, along with a picture of all the mamodo that participated. He is voiced by Satomi Koorogi in the original Japanese version and by Dave Wittenberg in the VIZ Media dub, Satomi Koorogi's version was originally the version for the Stonestream Recording Dub he is now voiced by David Stenstrom. Umagon ranked second in the most recent Shonen Sunday popularity contest in Japan. Kafka Sunbeam Umagon's reader is later revealed to be Kafka Sunbeam (Kafk Sunbeam in the English), He is a quiet, smart and easy-going man in his early thirties with blond hair, green eyes, and wears a green vest, a white shirt under his vest. He also wears light brown pants and dark brown shoes. Unlike Gash's other friends, Tio and Kyanchome, whose bookkeepers are celebrities, he is a automobile engineer who has come to work from Germany to Japan, similar to Umagon's roaming from England to Japan. Kafka first meets Umagon when a dog runs off with his book. He calms the dog and takes the book and holds on to it until they meet again at the Deboro Ruins and battle Dalumos. It is later revealed that he came to meet Umagon at the request of Nazonazo Hakase which explains the note left by him telling Kiyomaro the location of Zofis' ruin-base. Umagon did not want to fight, but Kafk secretly traveled to the Deboro Ruins anyway, believing that Umagon would make the right decision. Although he seems to understand Umagon in his own strange way, he too calls the horse by the name Kiyomaro had given to him. Umagon then subsequently tries to use body language to prove his name is "Schneider" (physically forming the katakana of his name), but, yet again, no one understands the horse mamono. During the Faudo arc, he gains a crush on Elle (to Tio and Megumi's embarrassment). Sunbeam has a philosophy to be a "cool adult," and doing things like abandoning Ponygon or his friends tends to go against his principles, quickly earning him the trust and friendship of the others. He likes to use the word "groovy" and uses lingo like "dude", "Rock' n' Roll" and "cool" frequently but says "groovy" more often. He calls Nazonazo Hakase "Doktor Nazonazo". After the battle, it is revealed that he is living in Africa with Elle, presumably as a couple, where they take care of the animals and he continues his work at the car company there, which is doing well. Like all the other partners, he got a postcard from his former partner Umagon, showing that he is doing well. He is voiced by Hozumi Gouda in the original Japanese version and by Henry Dittman in the VIZ Media dub, he was voiced by Phillip Avalos but is now voiced by Jonah McGary in the Stonestream Recording Dub. List of spells Umaon's fighting ability is his animal instinct. It is not completely developed yet, due to his fear of fighting other mamono, so he needs more training. Most of Umagon's spells are geared toward releasing his inner animal through special armor that increases his agility and strength. He also has the ability to create armor that not only grants him more power and speed, but grants him manipulation of the element of fire. * Shudoruku (English Dub: Shudoruk) Umagon gains a silver armored body (on his back, feet, and forehead) and super speed. Also, since their next spell, Gou Shudoruku, was gained this spell is used less often. (Transformation) (Gained prior to episode 65). * Gou Shudoruku (English: Dub: Go Shudoruk) Umagon gains a new armor. Instead of the original silvery design of Shudoruku, this armor is red and golden (possibly due to Gash's influence). This armor also gives Umagon a horn. (Transformation) (Gained in episode 65) * Dioemuru Shudoruku (English: Dioemur Shudoruk): Umagon receives flame-based armor and can manipulate fire for offensive and defensive purposes. His tail also becomes more like a horse's and gets armor almost everywhere except of the top of his forelegs, muzzle, and his neck. (Transformation)) (Gained in episode 110) * Shin Shudoruku (English: Shin Shudoruk): Umagon receives a massive new armor that seems to be filled with spikes with flight capabilities and a massive horn. (Transformation) * [[Baou Meru Meru Me:|'Baou Meru Meru Me':]] Blast of fire shoots from his mouth (Dreams Attack) * Shudorudo: A rhombus-shaped shield appears to protect Kafka. (Defense/Video-Game Only) * Shudorusen: Three angular missiles are fired. (Attack/Video-Game Only) * Megaru Shudoruku (English: Megar Shudoruk): - A flaming star fires plumes of lava around the area. (Attack/Video-Game Only) * Jio Ra Shudoruku (English: Geo La Shudoruk): A large horn erupts from the ground under the enemy. (Assist/Video-Game Only) * Gigano Shudoruku (English: Gigano Shudoruk): Armored Umagon and Kafka are enveloped in light and Umagon attacks with great force. (Attack/Video-Game Only) Spellbooks they burned * Dalmos, at the Devolo Ruins (episode 65) * Fango, inside Faudo (with help from Riya) (chapter 229; in the anime, Ponygon has the help of Karudio instead) * Zaruchimu, inside Faudo (chapter 230) * Jedun, inside Faudo (with help from Karudio) (episode 141, anime-only) * Bari, inside Faudo (at Gustav's request) (chapter 241) Trivia *Of all the mamono with Shin-class spells in the series, Umagon has the fewest spells (Rein may have the same amount of spells as Umagon but it is never reveled if he has more then 4 spells in the manga). *Umagon also has the distinction of being the final non-humanoid mamono remaining in the Mamono Battle. *Ironically for a horse, Umagon does not like carrots as displayed in various episodes such as in EP043 and EP046. *Even though Umagon's a horse, whenever his spells are used, he transforms into a unicorn or mythical horse. *Whenever Umagon's 2nd, 3rd, or 4th spell are used, his physical strength is so excellent that he is able to have 3 or 4 of his companions ride on his back, he still (in his normal form) possess enough strength to have Gash ride on his back. Quotes Merü meru me! Category:Characters Category:Good Characters Category:Mamodo